Body Cams/ Film The Police

While they are not a cure-all, body cameras and cell phone video have illuminated cases of police violence and have shown to be important tools for holding officers accountable. Nearly every case where a police officer has been charged with a crime for killing a civilian this year has relied on video evidence showing the officer's actions.

Policy Solutions

Body cameras

Require the use of body cameras - in addition to dashboard cameras - and establish policies governing their use to:

record all interactions with subjects who have not requested to be kept anonymous

notify subjects that they have the option to remain anonymous and stop recording/storing footage if they choose this option

allow civilians to review footage of themselves or their relatives and request this be released to the public and stored for at least two years

require body and dash cam footage to be stored externally and ensure district attorneys and civilian oversight structures have access to the footage

require police departments, whenever they want to deny a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for body or dash cam footage, to prove in court that the footage constitutes a legitimate FOIA exemption (Ex: Illinois House Bill 4355)

permanently delete footage after 6 months if this footage hasn't been specifically requested to be stored

include a disciplinary matrix clearly defining consequences for officers who fail to adhere to the agency's body camera policy.

consider whether cameras or mandated footage are tampered with or unavailable as a negative evidentiary factor in administrative and criminal proceedings

prevent officers from reviewing footage of an incident before completing initial reports, statements or interviews about an incident

prohibit footage from being used in tandem with facial recognition software, as fillers in photo arrays, or to create a database or pool of mugshots. (Ex: Baltimore PD Body Cam Policy)

update privacy laws to protect civilians from having video or audio recordings released publicly that do not contain potential evidence in a use-of-force incident, discharge of a weapon or death.

Ban police officers from taking cell phones or other recording devices without a person's consent or warrant and give people the right to sue police departments if they take or destroy these devices. (Ex: Colorado Law)